[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6215-S6216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING CHARLES CAWLEY

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, on behalf of Senator Chris Coons 
and Congressman John Carney of Delaware, I would like to set aside a 
few minutes today to reflect on the life and work of the late Charles 
``Charlie'' Cawley. He was a Delawarean who created a division called 
Support Services to employ hundreds of people with intellectual or 
developmental disabilities and enhance their quality of life as 
employees of MBNA Corporation, the succesful credit card business he 
founded which was later acquired by Bank of America in 2006.

[[Page S6216]]

  Charlie made it his mission to give back to the communities in which 
he and his employees lived. Over the course of more than two decades, 
his company and its employees gave more than $50 million to 
organizations and innumerable worthy causes. One major way that Charlie 
and the people of MBNA helped transform those communities was through a 
division of MBNA called Support Services. Now a division within Bank of 
America, it currently employs more than 300 associates with 
intellectual or developmental disabilities at Bank of America offices 
in Delaware, Maine, and Texas. These employees handle a variety of 
tasks, some of which include manual package assembly, performing 
quality control on automated teller machines, printing t-shirts, letter 
folding, and mailing and processing detailed, confidential documents. 
Employees receive a competitive salary, full benefits, and the 
opportunity to grow professionally and build relationships with mentors 
at the bank.
  It all began when Charlie was out to dinner with friends who felt 
their disabled son had little opportunity for employment and 
independence, so Charlie hired their son--and three others--and not 
long after, Support Services was born. Charlie knew there was value to 
this division, and with an abiding commitment to supporting individuals 
with disabilities, he grew the division to more than 200 employees. 
When Bank of America acquired MNBA, the division could have been 
downsized or even eliminated; however, Bank of America's vice 
chairwoman Anne Finucane saw an opportunity to involve Support Services 
in more aspects of the bank's businesses, not less, so the program was 
expanded even further.
  Contributing significantly to the success of Support Services is that 
its employees are treated the same as other employees of the bank. 
Managers look at the team as a whole, determine what skills each member 
possesses, and then provide the conditions needed to foster success. 
Doing so has helped to ensure that the efforts of Support Services 
employees, which require near perfect accuracy and high efficiency 
rates, are met with success. In the early years of the division, many 
clients of Support Services were skeptical that people with 
disabilities would be able to complete the very meticulous and time-
sensitive tasks in which this division specializes; however, those high 
expectations are always met and very often exceeded.
  Support Services is a quiet gem that has given hundreds of employees 
the opportunity to build confidence and independence. It is a blessing 
in their lives. From recognizing project accomplishments, milestones, 
and promotions, to celebrating weddings and the birth of children, 
there is no shortage of success stories to come out of such a positive 
and impactful area.
  Support Services is more than a division of the bank; it represents 
an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution every workday of their 
lives. Support Services has survived mergers and acquisitions because 
the potential value that Charlie once envisioned over dinner with his 
friends many years ago has been enthusiastically embraced by a new 
generation. Sadly, Charlie passed away in 2015, but his legacy of 
giving lives on through this program and its employees who together 
comprise the Charles M. Cawley Support Services team. Long may they 
serve.

                          ____________________